1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to alternative energy generating devices, and more specifically to a vertical windmill for maximizing conversion of wind energy into usable energy.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to the ever-increasing energy demands and the negative environmental impact of fossil and nuclear fuels, pursuit of green alternatives have become a prominent concern worldwide. The supply of fossil fuels dwindles annually, and they produce tons of hazardous chemicals dangerous to dispose of without strict regulation. Nuclear reactors produce radioactive wastes that take decades before the radioactivity diminishes to safe levels. Moreover, it is difficult to find safe landfill real estate that does not encroach on livable land.
With the above concerns in mind, many different alternative methods for generating usable energy have been pursued utilizing the power of the elements such as solar, water and wind. One of the solutions resides in windmills that convert wind energy to electricity. Conventional windmills have been employed to mill grains or pump water. However, the current advances in aerodynamics, materials and computers have resulted in arrays of windmills installed in ideal windy locales where the rotation of the windmill can be used to generate electricity.
A typical windmill generator comprises a fan mounted to a generator pod atop an elongate pole. The fan usually includes a plurality of blades radiating from a horizontally disposed shaft similar to an aircraft propeller engine. These blades are relatively long, made from metal and aerodynamically shaped to maximize rotation of the fan, i.e., the blades are designed to rotate with minimal force from the wind. However, this particular configuration still does not maximize conversion of wind power to rotary force due to the weight of the blades despite the advantages of the aerodynamic design. In other words, the typical windmill generator may not be able to convert the wind power from any given wind velocity with maximal efficiency because some will be lost in overcoming the mass and friction of the blades. Moreover, it may be difficult to widely employ the typical windmill generator due to the lack of ideal windy locales and/or the size. In light of the above, it would be a benefit in the art of alternative energy generators to provide a device that can maximize conversion of wind power to usable energy in a wide variety of locales.
Thus, a vertical windmill solving the aforementioned problems is desired.